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A British colonel in a Japanese PoW camp is ordered to build a railway bridge over a river, forging a vital communications link. At first he refuses to obey, but eventually agrees to take the project on - and becomes so obsessed with the task that he creates a dilemma for an American soldier sent to destroy the structure. David Lean's Oscar-winning Second World War drama, starring Alec Guinness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins
1957
HD
subtitles
audio-description
Epic
Historical/Period Drama
Movie/Drama
War
Cast & Crew
Alec Guinness
(Actor)
.. Col Nicholson
William Holden
(Actor)
.. Shears
Jack Hawkins
(Actor)
.. Maj Warden
Andre Morell
(Actor)
.. Col Green
Sessue Hayakawa
(Actor)
.. Col Saito
James Donald
(Actor)
.. Maj Clipton
Geoffrey Horne
(Actor)
.. Lt Joyce
Peter Williams
(Actor)
.. Capt Reeves
David Lean
(Director)
More Information
Did You Know..
Alec Guinness
(Actor)
.. Col Nicholson
William Holden
(Actor)
.. Shears
Born:
April 17, 1918
in
Illinois
Best Known For:
Being an acclaimed Hollywood actor.
Early-life:
William Franklin Beedle Jr was born in Illinois on April 17, 1918. He father was an industrial chemist and his mother a teacher. The family moved to Pasadena, California, when William was three. In 1937, while studying chemistry at Pasadena Junior College, William was signed to a film contract by Paramount. His first starring role was in Golden Boy (1949).
Career:
Holden went on to star in several minor pictures before serving in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War, where he acted in training films for the First Motion Picture Unit. His big break came when Billy Wilder cast him as screenwriter Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard (1950). The role earned Holden an Academy Award nomination. He went on to star in a number of acclaimed films, including Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Wild Bunch (1969), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Network (1976). He won an Academy Award for Stalag 17, and a Primetime Emmy in 1974 for The Blue Knight. He died in his Santa Monica apartment on November 12, 1981 at the age of 63.
Quote:
'For me, acting is not an all-consuming thing, except for the moment when I am actually doing it.'
Trivia:
He had a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers.
Jack Hawkins
(Actor)
.. Maj Warden
Andre Morell
(Actor)
.. Col Green
Sessue Hayakawa
(Actor)
.. Col Saito
James Donald
(Actor)
.. Maj Clipton
Geoffrey Horne
(Actor)
.. Lt Joyce
Peter Williams
(Actor)
.. Capt Reeves
David Lean
(Director)
